Hot News & Information

Kinoki foot pads, latest news

2007-12-30T11:09:00.000-08:00

I'll start with how suspicious I am of new products for healthcare. I am a very young but sick person - for 5 years now and doctors don't seem to be able to do anything but try to mask the pain and symptoms - only a couple out of 40+ are actually trying to get me better and only a couple of things have truly helped.. So I have been drawn to trying almost aything and reading any book I can find to get better. Most of what I have tried has been a waste of money with no results but these actually do something.

The first few days they came out brown and gunky like everyone else with it oozing all over my socks - nasty. Then it changed and for the next few days had white fuzzy stuff on top of the brown gunk. Out of fear of any unknown ingredients, I only wore them for a few hours each time - not all night like 8+ hours. Then after a few more days, the gunk was less and less but still alot.

I don't care if the gunk is the herbs mixing with your sweat or wet herbs or toxins or whatever. I had a reduction in swelling (visible, measurable) the day after and no aches in my arches and legs. I would like to try them elsewhere on my body but haven't yet. It's worth it for me to try a longer duration and more patches to see if it continues to have a positive effect on a few of my many symptoms.

For skeptics - I'm right with you but keep in mind there are many treatments and many drugs that were not approved by the FDA or the AMA etc. many years ago that are now approved. Everything starts out with "no scientific studies" and "not approved" until there are studies and they are approved. That doesn't mean it doesn't work or the statements aren't true - it means we don't know for a fact yet and it hasn't been "endorsed" yet. In the 80's, someone close to me could not get approval for Tomoxifin for her cancer because it was not scientifically proven to do anything and still experimental - she didn't live to see the day when my grandmother was given Tomoxifin by her doctor, covered by insurance for her cancer and is over five years cancer free. This is just herbs on your feet and I don't have cancer but it will always remind me that experimental or not proven doesn't mean it isn't worth a try to improve your quality of life.

Many approved and endorsed treatments have been worthless to me and a few actually harmful. If lots of people write that it sucks - it probably does but if it works for some and not others - it might work for me and that makes it worth a try.

Off my soapbox now - it helped my swelling and I'm buying more to see if it continues to do so.

Source: Amazon

UFC 79, latest video

2007-12-30T11:05:00.000-08:00

Xbox 360 wireless adapter review and information

2007-12-26T06:40:00.000-08:00

Designed for versatility and ease, the Xbox 360 Wireless Networking Adapter enhances your Xbox 360 experience in the digital home, seamlessly synchronizing with the Xbox 360 system. You can easily transfer videos and music to your Xbox 360 system from your Media Center PC, chat with your friends, play games via Xbox Live, and more all without the clutter of wires.

* Highly versatile and supports 802.11b, 802.11g, and 802.11a
* Powered seamlessly by your Xbox 360 gaming console, so there's no external power adapter to plug in
* You can transfer high-definition video and CD-quality music from your Media Center PC to your Xbox 360 via 802.11a wireless media support
Source: Amazon

BEST PRICE ONLINE:

Bleach 154 video

2007-12-26T06:39:00.000-08:00

San Francisco zoo tiger attack news and photos

2007-12-25T19:59:00.000-08:00

An escaped tiger attacked and killed a zoo patron Tuesday afternoon in a cafe at the San Francisco Zoo, a spokeswoman for the San Francisco Fire Department told CNN.

The tiger was shot and killed after attacking two other visitors, Mindy Talmadge said. Both of the victims were transported to San Francisco General Hospital with life-threatening injuries, she said.

A spokeswoman at the hospital would not give out any information about the victims.

"Apparently, right around closing time -- there was a pen with four tigers in it -- one of the tigers got out," Talmadge said. "The tiger went into a cafe at the zoo and attacked a patron. That person ended up dying at the scene."

Police arrived on the scene as the tiger attacked two other patrons, Talmadge said.

"They shot the tiger, and the tiger is deceased," she said.

almadge said the 125-acre zoo was locked down after the incident and all the facility's other animals were accounted for, including three other tigers that had been in the same enclosure with the escaped tiger.

Sumatran tiger from San Francisco Zoo:

Initially, officials feared some or all of the other tigers may have escaped, but later determined they had not, Talmadge said.

The 78-year-old zoo closed at 5 p.m. PT, and authorities received word of the escaped tiger at about 5:15 p.m. Police, fire and zoo officials remain on the scene investigating, Talmadge said.

A year ago, one of the zoo's Siberian tigers attacked a keeper during a public feeding. The keeper survived and recovered from her injuries.

California's Division of Occupation Safety and Health later determined that the zoo was at fault in the incident because of hazardous conditions in the Lion House, which houses the zoo's large cats, and lack of specialized safety training for employees. The zoo made OSH-ordered changes. The Lion House was closed for more than six months after that incident.

The zoo has Siberian tigers and rarer and smaller Sumatran tigers. It was not clear which subspecies of tiger was involved in the incident.

Source: CNN - December 26, 2007

Marmon Holdings latest news

2007-12-25T19:11:00.000-08:00

Warren Buffett's investment company announced Tuesday it will pay $4.5 billion for 60 percent of Marmon Holdings Inc., a private company of more than 125 manufacturing and service businesses.

Berkshire Hathaway Inc., based in Omaha, Neb., said it plans to acquire the remaining 40 percent of Marmon over the next five to six years depending on future earnings of Marmon, according to a statement released Tuesday by both companies.

Marmon is owned by trusts for the benefits of the Pritzker family of Chicago, the family that developed the Hyatt Hotel chain.

The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2008. Before the closing, Marmon said it will make a "substantial distribution of cash and certain assets to the selling shareholders," according to the statement.

Brothers Jay and Robert Pritzker acquired Marmon in 1953 when it was a small manufacturing operation in Ohio, according to the release. In 2002, Jay's son Tom Pritzker took over as chairman.

"Our transaction was done just the way Jay would have liked it to be done _ no consultants or studies," Buffett said in the statement. "I am pleased that over the next five to six years, we will be partnering and working ... in continuing to build Marmon."

Billionaire investor Buffett is CEO and chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, which has more than 60 subsidiaries.

Source: Associated Press - December 25, 2007

Bamzu latest news

2007-12-25T18:43:00.000-08:00

Bamzu is an online shopping site that sells products that are advertised on cable stations owned by Turner Broadcasting.

Source: Wikipedia

Robespierre of the brush

2007-12-25T18:40:00.000-08:00

“The Robespierre of the brush” they called this Neoclassical master whose career, like the proverbial cat with nine lives, survived coup after bloody coup. A darling of the Royal Academy, he metamorphosed into France’s art-czar during the Reign of Terror. As a deputy in the National Convention, he voted for Louis XVI’s execution and consigned 300 others to the guillotine. His chef d’oeuvre, completed in 1793, has been called the “pietà of the Revolution.” With the fall of the Republic, the Jacobin artist transformed himself yet again, into court portraitist to Napoleon, producing a series of monumental tableaus on imperial themes. Exiled after Waterloo, the 77-year-old master died peacefully in Brussels in 1825.

Jacques-Louis David, "Death of Marat"

Source: USC.edu Trojan Family Tree

Jay-Z Def Jam latest news

2007-12-25T18:38:00.000-08:00

After an unusual three-year turn in the corporate suite, Jay-Z, the rap superstar, said Monday that he would step down from his post as president of Def Jam Recordings, one of the world’s best-known record labels.

Jay-Z made the announcement with Def Jam’s parent, Universal Music Group, as his employment contract was expiring. Under a separate long-term recording contract with Def Jam, Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, still owes the company one or more albums.

Jay-Z’s exit from the executive role comes after Universal, a division of Vivendi, declined to renew the contract under more lucrative terms he sought, according to people briefed on the talks, who requested anonymity because the negotiations were confidential. Under the deal that is expiring, Universal was to pay Jay-Z in the range of $10 million over the course of the contract, if he hit certain financial targets.

Jay-Z offered no hints at his future plans. “It’s time for me to take on new challenges,” he said in a statement.

But he is already one of music’s most ambitious entrepreneurs, with business interests that include nightclubs, an investment in the New Jersey Nets and a fashion line. His next move is unclear, though there has been speculation that he might strike a deal with the concert giant Live Nation, which has been seeking stakes in artists’ various business lines beyond concerts.

It is not clear whether Universal will fill the job Jay-Z is vacating.

Though Universal pursued Jay-Z as an executive so that he could imbue Def Jam’s then-uncertain rap business with credibility, he leaves with a mixed legacy. Under his leadership, Def Jam released two top-selling albums from Kanye West, the producer turned rapper who first came to Def Jam through Jay-Z’s own imprint, Roc-a-Fella Records.

But elsewhere, Jay-Z’s results have ranged from muddled to lackluster. The rap act Young Jeezy enjoyed a smash debut but a modest follow-up album and sales of rappers like Freeway and Beanie Sigel have been slow.

On the pop side, Jay-Z is credited with discovering the top-selling pop act Rihanna, and as a performer he lent his skills to an array of Universal acts, even rapping on a version of “Rehab,” the best-selling single from Amy Winehouse, the British retro-soul singer.

Jay-Z, one of the best-selling rappers in music history, also found that running the record label releasing his album does not always guarantee success. His 2006 album, “Kingdom Come,” sold about 1.5 million copies, an underwhelming figure for him.

He has said the album was somewhat too “sophisticated” for some fans. But his latest album, “American Gangster,” which was inspired by the Denzel Washington movie of the same name and acclaimed by critics, has also performed modestly so far, selling about 784,000 copies in its first six weeks on sale.

Source: New York Times - December 25, 2007 - Jeff Leeds

Andrew Bynum latest news

2007-12-25T18:35:00.000-08:00

Playing on Christmas is a tradition of sorts for the Los Angeles Lakers. Achieving success, on the other hand, has been an allusive task in recent years.

Behind Kobe Bryant's 38 points and a career-high 28 and 12 rebounds from Andrew Bynum, the Lakers snapped a five-game losing streak on the holiday by defeating the Phoenix Suns, 122-115, at the Staples Center.

Derek Fisher had 15 of his 17 points in the first half and Lamar Odom had 14 and 14 rebounds for the Lakers, who have played on Christmas every year since 1999. Their last victory on the holiday came during an 88-82 win over the Philadelphia 76ers in 2001.

The Suns, meanwhile, have not played on Christmas in 11 years, when they lost to the Lakers.

Tuesday's affair featured two potent offenses as both teams didn't hesitate to push the pace to break-neck levels.

It was Bryant, though, who found a second gear late in the game. Fresh off of becoming the youngest player in NBA history to reach 20,000 points, the All-Star guard poured in 12 fourth-quarter points to help the Lakers pull away.

After Bynum followed Odom's missed jumper with a put-back to go ahead 106-99, Bryant hit two jumpers and two free throws for a 10-point lead.

The Suns, who came in averaging a league-best 109.5 points per game, went cold in the final quarter.

Steve Nash finished with 24 points and 14 assists, Amare Stoudemire added 19 points and Shawn Marion and Raja Bell each chipped in 15 apiece for the Suns.

The Lakers took a three-point advantage heading into the final quarter after Bryant drove through the lane and finished with an emphatic dunk to close the third.

In his first start, Trevor Ariza had 14 points for Los Angeles, which has won nine of the last 11 games at home.

Source: National Post Canada - December 25, 2007 - Jonathan Raber

All Fall Down movie review

2007-12-25T18:31:00.000-08:00

All Fall Down (1962)

Fifteen-year-old Clinton Willart arrives in Florida with $200 for his older brother, Berry-Berry, whom he idolizes. Berry-Berry had wired home for cash to go into business; actually he needs the money to pay a jail fine for beating up a prostitute. Once free, Berry-Berry sends Clinton back to Ohio, vaguely promising to return for Christmas. At home with Annabel, his talkative and meddling mother, and Ralph, his likeable but alcoholic father, Clinton views their life as humdrum compared with Berry-Berry's glamorous existence.

Excitement suddenly comes into Clinton's life, however, with the appearance of Echo O'Brien, the daughter of Annabel's closest friend. Echo's beauty and charm captivate the entire family, particularly young Clinton. Then Berry-Berry returns. Again his appeal to women proves irresistible, and Echo falls in love with him. Berry-Berry almost returns her love, but when he learns that she is pregnant, his latent misogyny reasserts itself, and he leaves her. Filled with despair, Echo drives her car off a cliff. At first, Clinton decides to kill his brother, but when Berry-Berry breaks down and sobs, Clinton realizes how pathetic his brother really is. No longer shackled by a distorted adoration for his older brother, Clinton leaves Berry-Berry to his own self-inflicted misery.

Source: Turner Classic Movies

Panama plane crash news

2007-12-25T18:26:00.000-08:00

Rescue crews in Panama found an American girl on Tuesday who survived a plane crash that killed the other three people on board, including a wealthy California investor, authorities said.

The bodies of businessman Michael Klein, his 13-year-old daughter, Talia, and Panamanian pilot Edwin Lasso were found in a mountainous area of dense forest where their small plane went down on Sunday, said air authority spokesman Victor de la Hoz.

The fourth passenger, 12-year-old American Francesca Lewis, survived the crash but suffered broken bones and hypothermia, he said.

"It's a miracle the girl survived because the plane was smashed to pieces," Roberto Velasquez, head of the government civil protection agency, told Reuters. He said her condition was stable.

Lewis was being moved by land to a hospital, de la Hoz told Reuters.

Klein and the two girls were in Panama vacationing at the businessman's private island in the Gulf of Chiriqui. Klein, 37, of Santa Barbara, California, was chief executive of U.S. hedge fund Pacificor.

The group's rented Cessna airplane disappeared from radar screens on Sunday afternoon after leaving the island bound for Volcan, a mountainous coffee-growing region. The flight would normally have taken 45 minutes.

"They were supposed to be back on Christmas Eve," said Kurt Benjamin, a friend and associate of Klein.

De la Hoz said the plane went down during bad weather near the town of Las Ovejas, 210 miles west of the capital. Authorities have yet to establish an official cause of the crash, he said.

Fog and heavy rains had forced rescue workers to intermittently suspend their three-day search for the plane.

Klein had founded two software companies in the 1990s before heading e-mail service company eGroups, which Yahoo! purchased in 2000 for $450 million, according to the Pacificor Web site.

He purchased Pacificor in 2002. Benjamin, a vice president at the company, said that since then Klein had hosted the company's entire staff at his island.

(Additional reporting by Jason Lange in Mexico City; editing by Mohammad Zargham)

Source: Reuters - December 25, 2007 - Elida Moreno

Islas Secas latest news

2007-12-25T10:17:00.000-08:00

A California hedge fund manager, his daughter and her friend were among four people on a small plane that went missing in Panama, the man's ex-wife said Tuesday.

Kim Klein told The Associated Press that bad weather and other obstacles were preventing rescue crews from looking for the plane, which may have crashed in the western province of Chiriqui.

Klein told The Associated Press during a phone interview from Boquete, Panama, that her former husband, Michael, was aboard the Cessna 172, along with their daughter, Talia, her friend Francesca Lewis of Santa Barbara and a Panamanian pilot, Edwin Lasso.

Michael Klein, 37, is the chief executive officer of Pacificore LLC, a Santa Barbara-based company that manages several hedge funds. He was on vacation with his 13-year-old daughter and her 12-year-old friend at Islas Secas, an eco-resort that he owns, Kim Klein said.

The plane disappeared after taking off Sunday from Islas Secas off Panama's Pacific coast, heading for the Chiriqui volcano, about 285 miles west of the capital.

The flight normally would have taken about 45 minutes, but controllers lost contact with the craft at about noon on Sunday.

Rain and fog hampered the search for the missing plane on Monday, officials said. The U.S. Embassy in Panama was closed for the holidays, making it difficult for Kim Klein and others to get help.

"We haven't found the plane yet. We have an idea of where it could be, but the weather isn't helping," said Roberto Velasquez, director of Panama's civil defense agency

Klein said she is offering $25,000 to anyone who can locate the aircraft.

"We really need anyone we can find to give us some ground help, any assistance to find them," Klein said.

She said the group was scheduled to return to California on Christmas Eve.

Michael Klein founded two companies in the 1990s before becoming president and CEO of eGroups Inc., which was the world's largest group e-mail communication service. Yahoo Inc. purchased eGroups for $450 million in August 2000 and is now known as Yahoo Groups.

Source: Associated Press - December 25, 2007

IHOP latest news

2007-12-25T10:13:00.000-08:00

IHOP (NYSE: IHP), one of America's favorite restaurants for breakfast, lunch and dinner, announced today that after efforts to lobby 15 state governors to move their Super Tuesday presidential primary elections, the company has reached a compromise and will activate Plan B (for buttermilk).

As it stands, Super Tuesday, set for February 5, 2008, encroaches upon the centuries-old celebration of Pancake Day, traditionally held the Tuesday preceding Lent to rid iceboxes of forbidden dairy products. Following a negotiation period between IHOP and state leaders, IHOP has agreed to move its annual celebration this year by one week to February 12, with several Governors offering their support by proclaiming February 12 as National Pancake Day.

IHOP launched its annual National Pancake Day fundraising effort in 2006. In 2007, IHOP joined forces with Children's Miracle Network to give away more than 1.1 million pancakes and raise more than $625,000 for local children's hospitals and other worthy causes. Since beginning its National Pancake Day celebration, IHOP has raised approximately one million dollars to support charities in the communities in which it operates.

In honor of National Pancake Day, IHOP will give away a free short stack of its signature buttermilk pancakes to each guest on February 12, 2008. In return, IHOP asks that its guests consider making a donation to support local children's hospitals through the Children's Miracle Network, a non-profit dedicated to improving children's hospitals nationwide, or other local charities. IHOP's goal is to raise $750,000 for Children's Miracle Network and other charities. More than 1,300 IHOP restaurants throughout the United States will once again participate in the free pancake fundraiser from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

"It was a playful means to raise awareness about our important fundraising effort," said IHOP's director of National Pancake Day, Patrick Lenow, about the company's lighthearted quest to move Super Tuesday primaries. "We would never want to disrupt the democratic process, but certainly wanted to gain the support of state leaders for National Pancake Day."

The official web site for IHOP's National Pancake Day also launched today at www.IHOPPancakeDay.com. The site serves as a resource for National Pancake Day with information to find local IHOP restaurants or to make an early donation to Children's Miracle Network. The site also provides information about Children's Miracle Network as well as links to National Pancake Day news, details and most importantly stories about the children that benefit from IHOP's National Pancake Day.

ABOUT CHILDREN'S MIRACLE NETWORK

Children's Miracle Network is a non-profit organization dedicated to saving and improving the lives of children by raising funds for children's hospitals. Each year the 170 Children's Miracle Network hospitals provide the finest medical care, life-saving research and preventative education to help millions of kids overcome diseases and injuries of every kind.

Source: CNN Money - December 19, 2007

The truth about Chuck Norris latest news

2007-12-24T18:15:00.000-08:00

You can't fight the facts...unless you're Chuck Norris.

The martial artist and actor has sued Penguin Group and author Ian Spector over the book The Truth About Chuck Norris: 400 Facts About the World's Greatest Human, claiming the tome unfairly exploits his name. He is seeking to stop its distribution.

The book in question is based on a list of "mythical facts" compiled on the Internet that includes statements such as:

* Chuck Norris does not sleep. He waits.
* Chuck Norris' tears cure cancer. Too bad he has never cried.
* Chuck Norris can divide by zero.
* The grass is always greener on the other side, unless Chuck Norris has been there. In that case, the grass is most likely soaked in blood and tears.
* On his birthday, Chuck Norris randomly selects one lucky child to be thrown into the sun.
* If you Google search "Chuck Norris getting his ass kicked," you will generate zero results. It just doesn't happen.

A preface to the book, which was published Nov. 29, thanks Norris for "playing along." And indeed, a rep for Norris said last year he was aware of the tribute of sorts and found it to be "very flattering," while the man himself wrote on his blog that he "neither [took] offense nor [took] these things too seriously."

However, the tough-guy actor's goodwill apparently only extended to the list of so-called facts when they were contained in cyberspace. Now that they have evolved into book form, he's having a harder time getting the joke.

In his lawsuit, filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, Norris claims he never authorized the use of his name, image or likeness in connection with the book.

Furthermore, he alleges that some of the "facts" wrongly portray him in a lewd or racist light or indicate that he engages in "illegal activities."

According to his court documents, Norris is seeking unspecified damages, a halt to publication and a recall of copies of the books already sold. Two Websites operated by Spector to promote the book, including chucknorrisfacts.com, are also named in the suit.

Though Norris is apparently unwilling to have the "facts" about him published in book form, he's not opposed to having them used to endorse his political candidate of choice.

The actor recently appeared in a humorous campaign ad for Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, in which the two trade statements about each other back and forth.

"My plan to secure the border," says Huckabee..."two words: Chuck Norris."

"Mike Huckabee wants to put the IRS out of business," Norris says in response.

"Chuck Norris doesn't endorse, he tells America how it's gonna be," the presidential hopeful concludes.

Apparently, the truth about Chuck Norris is that when it comes to himself, he has a selective sense of humor.

Source: E! News - December 24, 2007 - Sarah Hall

Soldiers blow up dogs, watch the video

2007-12-24T18:10:00.000-08:00

American soldiers in Iraq caught on video blowing up dogs using IED detonations.

Watch the video:

Raz B of B2K molested latest news and photos

2007-12-24T16:09:00.000-08:00

In a tape released to the internet this weekend, B2K member Raz-B and his older brother Ricky Romance accuse the group's svengali Chris Stokes of molestation.

The tape surfaced in the midst of talks surrounding a B2K reality show that would feature Raz-B, Lil' Fizz, and J-Boog. On one clip, Raz (born DeMario Thornton) is on the phone breaking the news to the family of Marques Houston, who is also a protege of Chris Stokes. "It started one day when Chris said, 'Let me touch you,'" Raz-B explains. He says he was only 11 or 12 years-old at the time.

On another clip, Raz's brother Ricky "Romance" Thornton tells his side. "Chris made me take showers with the other boys," he said. "All that little sh-t that my brother was introduced to was brought to me first and I blocked that sh-t."

He went on to say, "I kinda knew what was going on over there and yet I took my brother over to Chris. I didn't protect him."

In another moment, a voice, identified as Stokes', can be heard on speaker phone arguing with Raz. "I don't do that no more," the voice says. "That ain't me. That was us years ago. I don't feel like getting on the phone and fussin' with my cousin."

As founder of TUG entertainment, Chris Stokes was known as the mind behind the boy groups IMX and B2K. He's also directed many of his clients' videos and has since moved into film, writing and directing flicks for Omarion and Marques Houston, including You Got Served and, more recently, Somebody Help Me.

When asked if he thought Stokes molested others, Raz responded, "I can't speak on everybody but I think he did."

Source: sohh.com

TOP PICK:

What is lymphangioleiomyomatosis

2007-12-24T15:48:00.001-08:00

A little over a year ago, Kathy Stangl received a devastating prognosis: Doctors told her she had only a few months to live.

Then April came around and Stangl, still very much alive, did what comes naturally to Iowans — she started meeting presidential candidates.

"I just think we have a unique opportunity here. It's a rare privilege to talk to everybody running," said Stangl, a 56-year-old mother of two from Des Moines who has an incurable lung disease. "I see the caucuses as a big round-robin open-table job interview. Why should we hesitate to ask any questions?"

Stangl hasn't hesitated, attending nearly 50 events with presidential hopefuls from both parties and talking one-on-one with several. She tells them about her illness and gives her pitch for directing more health care dollars toward research, early intervention and prevention.

Just this month, Stangl put former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee on the spot.

Moving slowly with the help of a walking stick topped with a carving of a morel mushroom, Stangl arrived early to get a chair. Hundreds of people crammed shoulder to shoulder into a room in a downtown Des Moines office building, but Stangl edged through the supporters, photographers and reporters until she stood directly before Huckabee.

He greeted her. She told him of her diagnosis and a need to redirect health care spending.

"Actually, that's what I did in Arkansas," Huckabee said. "We started moving our whole state system toward prevention."

Stangl asked what he would do as president to change the national health care system.

Huckabee responded that it must start with federal programs like Medicare and Medicaid.

"If we don't set the model, then the rest of the industry doesn't move that way," he said.

Through all the noise and chaos generated by hundreds of people clamoring for the candidate's attention, Stangl held Huckabee's focus for several more minutes.

"Thank you. I appreciate your coming out today," he told her as he moved away.

Stangl was pleased with the exchange.

"He did answer the questions," she said. "He didn't blow me off."

It's not that she's a single-issue voter, but Stangl said people should consider changes to the health care system, and she wants more to be aware of a disease that ultimately will probably kill her.

It was 10:30 one evening in October 2006 when a doctor told her she had lymphangioleiomyomatosis, a progressive lung disease. The doctor told her she was past the upper age of life expectancy for women with the disease and she was likely to be dead by April.

More than a year after that initial word, Stangl has no explanation for her survival, although she notes that LAM is unfamiliar to many physicians. It's frequently misdiagnosed or missed altogether by doctors who don't have experience with the condition.

Stangl said conservative estimates are that 250,000 people, mostly women, have the disease and don't know it. Meeting with presidential candidates is her way of spreading the word and pushing for more research.

At most events, she wears a T-shirt emblazoned with the question: Can You Say lymphangioleiomyomatosis. The shirt also notes the Web site for a foundation offering information.

"It's a hard road," she said. "It just isn't on doctors' radar screens. We're kind of like where breast cancer was 100 years ago."

Stangl now lives off disability payments. She also teaches classes in chronic disease management and has talked about LAM at health fairs and other events sponsored by the Partnership for Better Health, an Iowa-based group that calls for health care reform.

Natalie Battles, the partnership's executive director, said the attention given to the caucuses enables groups and people like Stangl to shine a light on such issues.

"The eyes of the world are on us and so I think that type of attention to this issue really gives us the opportunity to elevate these messages, engage the candidates in those conversations, engage our peers and other caucus goers in those conversations," she said.

Stangl said some candidates have been more responsive than others. Those who have experienced health care challenges themselves or in their families have been more willing to consider spending more on research and disease prevention, she said.

"I don't know how long I'm going to be here," she said. "I'd like some answers on the record so if I can't, other people can hold them accountable."

Source: Associated Press - December 25, 2007

More:

The LAM Foundation: http://www.thelamfoundation.org
Partnership for Better Health: http://www.partnershipforbetterhealth.org

Josh Kelley latest news

2007-12-24T09:57:00.000-08:00

Emmy-winning star Katherine Heigl and musician Josh Kelley exchanged vows in Utah, U.S. media reported Monday.

Heigl, 29, and Kelley, 27, tied the knot at a resort in Park City.

"We're madly in love and she makes me excited to become married and to have a family and spend my life with someone. We're fairly opposite but we also share a lot of the same values," said the musician.

The private reception was witnessed by "Grey's Anatomy" co-star T.R. Knight. Guests at the ceremony also included Heigl's co-stars Sandra Oh and Kate Walsh, U.S. Weekly Magazine reported.

The ceremony was held in a small, private tent at the Stein Eriksen Lodge, and lasted about 30 minutes. The tent was decorated with white flowers and white candles.

"It is incredible and beautiful," said Knight.

Heigl portrays Dr. Izzie Stevens on the medical drama "Grey's Anatomy."

The two met in 2005 when Heigl appeared in a video for Kelley's song "Only You."

Source: Xinhuanet - December 24, 2007

How to Make Egg Casserole

2007-12-24T08:57:00.000-08:00

Ingredients

3 cups frozen shredded hash browns
3/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 cup diced fully-cooked ham
1/4 cup chopped green onions
4 eggs
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon salt
Instructions

Place hash browns in an 8-inch square baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese, ham and onions. Beat eggs, milk, pepper and salt; pour over all. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes or until knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Yield: 6 servings.

Gail Elsbury
Moline

Source: qconline.com

TREAT YOURSELF! GET IT BY DECEMBER 26:

After Christmas sales

2007-12-24T08:54:00.000-08:00

The nation's shoppers — taking advantage of deep discounts and expanded hours — jammed stores over the last weekend before Christmas to try to grab a hard-to-find Wii or scoop up bargains on other items. But the spending surge may not be enough to offset what is shaping up to be a mediocre December for some retailers.

Based on early reports on Sunday, mall operators including Macerich Co. said they were pleased with the spending spree over the weekend, but they were still counting on Christmas Eve and post-Christmas business to meet holiday sales goals in what has turned out to be a nail biter of a season.

Meanwhile, even as shoppers continued to snap up flat-screen TVs, video game software and other gadgets, benefiting stores like Best Buy Co., the apparel business remains challenging, analysts said.

Ed Schmults, chief executive of toy merchant FAO Schwarz, which operates stores in Chicago and New York, said Sunday that pre-Christmas business is below expectations despite a sales surge this weekend.

"It's almost kind of worth waiting and shifting through the hustle and bustle," said Carly Moore, of Chicago, who was heading to Macy's on the city's State Street shopping corridor to scoop up some discounted clothing. But she was still frustrated that she couldn't find Nintendo's Wii game console, after trying at least five stores.

Valerie Glodowski of Stevens Point, Wis., who was with her boyfriend at Wisconsin's Wausau Center Mall, said she started holiday shopping two weeks ago and waited until the last weekend to finish out of sheer laziness.

"I am just winging it," she said.

Many merchants, which had struggled through a sluggish December after a strong start to the season, are counting even more on the final days before Christmas to make their holiday goals. With the three days prior to Christmas accounting for as much as 15 percent of holiday sales, there's a lot of business left on the table.

Macy's Inc. is keeping several of its stores in the New York metropolitan area, including its flagship store in Herald Square, open until 6 p.m. on Christmas Eve. About 1,000 of Sears Holdings Corp.'s 1,387 Kmart stores are open for 64 hours straight, beginning at 6 a.m. Saturday and ending at 10 p.m. on Dec. 24, for the first time since 2002.

With Christmas falling on a Tuesday, shoppers were enticed to wait even longer this season to finish their holiday shopping. A challenging economy — higher gas prices and a housing slump — also made some shoppers hold off until the final days before the holiday. Retailers routinely discount items deeper as Christmas draws nearer.

"The gas prices and car insurance ... is up. I would say I'm spending less and worrying more about it," said Sondra Newton, of Warren, Mich., who was at Oakland Mall in Troy, Mich., a suburb outside of Detroit on Friday. "I used to just take their (her children's) list and get the top ones on it. Now I have to think about 'what can I get at the best deal.'"

Nevertheless, Michael P. Niemira, chief economist at International Council of Shopping Centers, is sticking with his December forecast for a 1.5 percent gain in same-store sales, or sales at stores opened at least a year. That would mean same-stores sales for the November-December period would be up 2.5 percent from a year ago.

"I think when the dust settles, stores will have met expectations, though they are modest," said Bill Martin, co-founder of ShopperTrak RCT Corp., which tracks total sales at more than 50,000 retail outlets. He said he is still sticking with his 3.6 percent forecast for the November and December period, though he added, "some retailers will do OK, and others won't."

ShopperTrak is expected to release total sales for the week ended Saturday late on Monday.

Jerry Storch, chairman and CEO of Toys "R" Us Inc., said the past weekend was strong, and that people were buying "everything," from video-game software to games. He noted that shipments of Wii are selling out as fast as Toys "R" Us gets them, while the retailer is running out of Fisher-Price's Smart Cycle, a stationary bike that plugs into the TV. The season's hot video game, "Guitar Hero 3," is also hard to find.

Karen MacDonald, spokeswoman at mall operator Taubman Center Inc., noted that on Saturday business was up in the mid-single digits based on a spot-check of malls. Gift card sales are up in the double digits, and "more men are out buying fragrance gift sets and jewelry," she said.

Ken Gillette, senior vice president of operations at Macerich, noted that the weekend was "very busy," with traffic on Saturday up 20 percent from the previous Saturday. He said while the day after Black Friday starts off the season, the most intense sales volume comes in the few days before Christmas.

Still, overall holiday sales gains could come at a cost for retailers, says Sherif Mityas, partner and central region leader at consultancy A.T. Kearney, noting that stores discounted heavily at the expense of margins. He believes that apparel merchants will see their fourth-quarter profits most hurt.

For many shoppers, it paid to wait given the plentiful offerings and good deals. The Children's Place Retail Stores Inc. was offering three graphic T-shirts for a total of $20. Pier 1 Imports Inc., which has been hit hard along with other home furnishings stores by the housing slump, was offering 50 percent discounts on candle gift sets and 35 percent price cuts on holiday potpourri.

"I got very good deals," said Nichelle Jones, of Chicago who had purchased two shirts at Lady Foot Locker, owned by Foot Locker Inc., winter boots and an iPod at Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

Edison Alberto of Miami Beach, Fla., got all of his shopping done in about an hour and a half on Friday night. He had about a dozen gifts to buy and found them all at a mall near Miami. His best deals, he said, were sneakers he bought for two cousins at Champs Sports.

"I thought they were going to be $80 or up," he said. "They were $55 each."

AP Writers Natasha Robinson in Troy, Mich., Robert Imrie in Wausau, Wis., Sophia Tareen in Chicago and Jessica Gresko in Miami contributed to this report.

Source: Associated Press - December 24, 2007

Roger Clemens video

2007-12-24T08:50:00.000-08:00

Roger Clemens posted a video Sunday repeating his denial of the steroid use alleged against him in the Mitchell Report, and said he plans to be interviewed for a Jan. 6 episode of 60 Minutes. In October last year, the Los Angeles Times reported that the seven-time Cy Young Award winner was linked to steroids in the May 2006 sworn statement of a federal agent who cited former pitcher Jason Grimsley. At the time, the names of players in the public version had been blacked out. When the full affidavit was unsealed Thursday, Clemens' name was not in it. "I faced this last year when the L.A. Times reported that I used steroids. I said it was not true then, and now the whole world knows it's not true, now that that's come out," Clemens said in the video, posted on www.rogerclemensonline.com and on You Tube.

Source: Sun-Sentinel.com - December 24, 2007

Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou latest news

2007-12-24T08:47:00.000-08:00

Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou became a worldwide mixed martial arts sensation this year with spectacular knockout wins in Las Vegas and Japan.

But the 23-year old’s parents back home in Cameroon thought their son was studying computer science in San Diego.

“Yeah, my parents, they don’t know,” the man dubbed “The African Assassin” said. “They think I’m in college and maybe training in judo on the side, just for fun. My family places a high value on education. All of my brothers went to college. I’m going to get my degree, I’ve just had other things happen.”

In a whirlwind 2007, Sokoudjou went from total unknown to overnight sensation to one of the hottest free agents to the game. The light heavyweight will finish the year with his debut on the sport’s biggest stage, the Ultimate Fighting Championship, where he’ll face undefeated Lyoto Machida on Dec. 29.

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“They say America is the land of opportunity, right? That is how America has been for me. Every morning I wake up and I think about where I’ve come from and where I am now and I feel like I am blessed just to be in this country.”

After spending his childhood in his native country competing in judo, Sokoudjou moved to San Diego in 2001 at the age of 17 to continue his training. Before his first year in the United States was through, he won the national championship in the open weight category at the U.S. Open Judo Championships in Las Vegas.

Visa complications kept Sokoudjou from achieving his dream of joining Cameroon’s 2004 Olympic judo squad. Sokoudjou pondered his future in San Diego while holding down three jobs – security guard, translator and bouncer -- when he was enlisted to help train Olympic Greco-Roman wrestling legend Rulon Gardner for his lone MMA match, a decision win over Hidehiko Yoshida in Japan.

“We knew we had something right away,” said Ryan Parsons, the head trainer at Team Quest South, located about 60 miles Northeast of San Diego. “You could just tell if we had a chance to work with him, it would be like molding something great out of clay."

Sokoudjou also helped PRIDE Fighting Championship welterweight titleholder Dan Henderson prepare for a 2004 title defense against Kazuhiro Nakamura. The training sessions lit a fire inside the newcomer.

“Back then, I was more muscular, I was walking around at about 240,” said Sokoudjou. “And I couldn’t believe this guy who was fighting at 183 was throwing me around the way he did. “I’m really competitive, so that got to me, and I felt like I had to come back and prove myself."

Sokoudjou committed to training full-time with Team Quest South, which is affiliated with the original Team Quest gym in Oregon, which helped produce Randy Couture and Matt Lindland.

“Every day I train with Team Quest I learn something new,” said Sokoudjou. “You can never learn enough. Mixed martial arts is as much of a mental challenge as it is a physical one. You can learn all the different styles and have the tools, but you have to be able to know what to use in different situations. That’s the big thing I’m working on now."

Still, Sokoudjou only had three matches and two wins under his belt when the coaches at Team Quest persuaded PRIDE to give him a slot on their Feb. 24 card at the Thomas and Mack Center in Vegas. The company offered him a match with highly regarded Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.

“I’m not sure what they were thinking,” Parsons said, as he watched Sokoudjou work with Henderson on Muay Thai defense during a recent training session. “I don’t know if they thought they were handing Nogueira an easy win. The Japanese promoters are into characters, and they liked the visual of this big, solid guy from Africa with dreadlocks and a Cameroon flag. Whatever it was, they gave him the shot and we were glad to get it."

“They gave me one name first, then they called again and offered double the money to fight Nogueira,” said Sokoudjou. “I was like, ‘wow, that’s not an easy fight,’ but I realized I had six weeks to prepare and face the challenge."

Sokoudjou still remembers the reaction from the crowd as he made his way to the ring. “The fans were all like ‘who is this guy?’ They thought I had no chance."

Twenty-three seconds and a hellacious knockout punch later, everyone know who he was. But Sokoudjou had no time to celebrate what was at that point MMA’s biggest upset of the year. “They called me the next day and wanted me to fight again on their next show,” he said. “And they said they wanted me to fight Ricardo Arona. I was healthy so I said I’d do it."

Arona, like Nogueira, was generally considered among the world’s Top 10 light heavyweights. But Arona, too, was on the wrong end of a fast knockout, as Sokoudjou won with a KO punch at 1:59 of the first round of their April 8 match in Saitama.

Sokoudjou was on top of the world, but he was the hottest new property in a dying company. The April show ended up PRIDE’s last stand before the company was sold to the owners of the UFC, which was followed by a frustrating waiting game.

“I heard there were all these plans,” he said. “UFC vs. PRIDE, a big Super Bowl card, shows in Japan, all that. I was hoping they’d keep running shows in Japan because I really enjoy Japanese culture. But we never heard anything directly."

“It was a real frustrating time for him, because everyone was kept in the dark,” said Parsons. “But he controlled what he could. He came out and worked just as hard in the gym as he always had, and he had faith that things would sort themselves out.”

Since he wasn’t locked down to a long-term deal, Sokoudjou began looking for work elsewhere. First Elite XC made a run at him. Then Japan’s K-1 made an offer.

UFC fans can indirectly thank Forrest Griffin for Sokoudjou’s arrival in the company. “I watched Forrest beat (Mauricio) ‘Shogun’ Rua (at UFC 76 in September), and I got right on the phone and told my people that the UFC is where I wanted to be,” he said. “I mean, no disrespect to Forrest, but Shogun is Shogun. I wasn’t expecting Forrest to win. But when I saw how strong Forrest fought I realized just how deep the talent was in the UFC light heavyweight division.”

“Other companies might have offered me more money, but I’m competitive, man,” he continued. “The level of competition isn’t the same in other places. If I’m fighting bad competition, I get lazy and I don’t train my best. If I know I am fighting the best it brings out the best of me in the gym.”

Motivation shouldn’t be a problem in Sokoudjou’s UFC debut. Machida’s resume includes wins over Rich Franklin, B.J. Penn and Stephen Bonnar.

The 11-0 Shotokan karate practitioner, who trains in the Black House camp along with UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, is known as one of the most patient fighters in the game: each of his past four fights and six of his past seven have gone to a decision.

“There aren’t any secrets to his style,” Parsons said. “He likes to pick his spots and he does a great job of setting the tempo to his liking.”

The explosiveness of Sokoudjou’s high-profile wins this year can make one forget about his judo roots. He’s spent more than his share of time rolling with the best of them. And Sokoudjou can’t help but admit that he’d like a chance to show off what he can do in his base sport.

“Maybe I’ll get my chance to throw him. Who knows? I’d love to do that, but you have to take what you can get and do whatever you can to win.”

One thing’s for sure. If Sokoudjou continues on his hot streak, the news seems destined to filter back to Cameroon. “They’ll find out about it eventually,” a laughing Sokoudjou said. “You can go ahead and write about it, as long as you don’t write it in French. I promise my family I’m going to go back and get my degree as soon as I get a chance.”

Dave Doyle is the Boxing/MMA editor for Yahoo! Sports. Send Dave a question or comment for potential use in a future column or webcast.

Source: Yahoo! Sports - December 22, 2007

Stein Eriksen lodge latest news

2007-12-24T08:03:00.000-08:00

Grey's Anatomy star Katherine Heigl has married musician Josh Kelley at a US resort.

Katherine, who plays Dr Izzie Stevens in the TV show, and the recording artist tied the knot in front of a small group of family and friends in a tent outside the Stein Eriksen Lodge in Park City, Utah, according to CelebTV.com.Katherine's Grey's Anatomy co-star TR Knight was part of her bridal party, and guests included cast members Sandra Oh and Kate Walsh.

The 29-year-old actress and her 27-year-old new hubbie met when she appeared in one of his music videos in 2005. They were engaged last year.

She was nominated for a supporting actress Golden Globe in late 2006 for her role as Izzie.

Last year, Katherine - a former child model - made a successful move to the big screen when she appeared in the film Knocked Up, alongside Seth Rogen.

Source: ThisIsNorthScotland.co.uk

Olympic gold medalist Stein Eriksen remains hospitalized with a severely broken wrist, broken collar bone and shoulder, according to a family friend.

The skiing legend, 80, was on the slopes with friends Sunday when he collided with another skier, according to Deer Valley spokeswoman Coleen Reardon.

Eriksen, who still holds the title of director of skiing at Deer Valley, was taken to University Hospital Sunday afternoon, according to family friend Mark O. Haroldsen. Surgeons operated on his severely broken wrist earlier this week, Haroldsen said.

It was previously reported that the Norwegian Olympian was treated and released from a Salt Lake City-area hospital. But Thursday, a University Hospital spokesman confirmed that Eriksen remains under care.

The injuries and surgery left Eriksen in a difficult state, Haroldsen said.
"He wasn't doing well. He was in and out of consciousness."

On Saturday, Eriksen celebrated his 80th birthday with 350 guests at a gala at the lodge that bears his name. A life-size bronze statue of skier was unveiled in front of the Stein Eriksen Lodge.

At the 1952 Winter Games in Oslo, Eriksen won the gold medal in the giant slalom and took silver in the slalom.

In 1997, he was knighted by the King Harald V of Norway. Eriksen has lived in Utah since the late 1960s.

Source: Salt Lake Tribune - December 20, 2007 - Christofer Smart

JVC 770 watt 7.1 av receiver Review

2007-12-24T07:52:00.000-08:00

With a streamlined compact design and new 2.7-inch widescreen LCD monitor, JVC GR-D770US provides advanced features, easy portability, and exceptional value. A 34x optical zoom lens plus up to 800x digital-zoom enhancement provide unprecedented shooting flexibility. For ease of use, a new stick controller mounted on the LCD monitor makes it easy to set menu and manual settings and control playback. Recording time is enhanced through the use of a new battery combined with new circuitry that consumes less power. Enjoy JVC's Auto Illumi light for shooting in low light situations.

Need stills as well as video? JVC GR-D770US allows the choice to shoot digital still images while recording video. JVC's popular data battery feature that at the push of a button displays battery strength and remaining recording time - with and without using the LCD monitor. Power-Linked Operation Auto button 135-minute Data Battery SD / MMC Card Slot for adding an optional memory-card to store still pictures at VGA resolution Menu has 7 Language Settings for choice access to features Has USB Compatibility for transferring images to a computer Photo Navigation Software

Source: Amazon

THE CHEAPEST JVC 770 ONLINE:

Paul Castronovo latest news

2007-12-24T07:46:00.000-08:00

The wife and mother of a popular South Florida radio personality were rushed to the hospital after a head on collision in Deerfield Beach.

45-year old Regina Castronovo, wife of Big 105.9 morning show host Paul Castronovo, and 72-year old Virginia Castronovo, his mother, were in a Toyota Camry returning from a weekend trip to Disney World when they were hit by a Pontiac Vibe driven by 70-year old Cynthia Mehlman on 10th Street near 3rd Avenue.

The Broward Sheriffs Office says Mehlman, with her 95-year old mother Ida Haldern in the passenger seat, was traveling westbound on 10th Street when she lost control and veered into the eastbound lanes and hit the Castronovo's Camry head on.

Haldern and Mehlman were transported by Deerfield Beach Fire Rescue to North Broward Medical Center, where Haldern was pronounced dead.

Due to the critical nature of Mehlman's injuries, she was later taken to Broward General.

Virginia Castronovo and Regina Castronovo were also transported to North Broward Medical Center. Virginia, who suffered neck injuries, was listed in serious condition. Regina, who underwent several hours of ''life-threatening surgery'' for internal injuries, remains in critical condition.

The Castronovo's two sons, which were riding in a separate car driven by their grandfather, were not injured in the incident.

Source: CBS4 - December 24, 2007

Wisconsin road conditions update

2007-12-24T07:42:00.000-08:00

CEDAR RAPIDS - 9:30 a.m. update: Most state highways in northern Iowa roadways that closed yesterday due to winter weather have been reopened this morning. The Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT) is still advising Iowans to take extra precautions, if traveling today, as blowing and drifting could continue to be a safety risk in some areas.

Roads now open:

# All state highways in Dubuque County.
# Buchanan County - Iowa 150, south of Independence
# Clayton County - U.S. 52, from Dubuque County to Guttenberg
# Delaware County - Iowa 13, north of Manchester
# Delaware County - Iowa 3, west from Dubuque County to Colesburg

The following road is still closed due to drifting.

# Delaware County - Iowa 38, north from just north of U.S. 20 to Iowa 3

Iowa DOT road crews will be working to restore and maintain normal winter driving conditions. The department will be closely monitoring road conditions in partnership with the Iowa State Patrol and issuing updated travel advisories as needed.
***

Most secondary roads and some major highways across northeast Iowa drifted shut late Sunday in the wake of a snowstorm that dropped up to 10 inches at some locations. Improving conditions are forecast for today and Christmas Day.

"We're trying to get (the word) out not to travel at all," a Dubuque County sheriff's dispatcher said last night. "We've got hundreds of them in the ditch."

The worst-affected area was north of a line from Vinton to Anamosa to Bellevue, according to the National Weather Service.

Among the highways reported closed last night were Highway 13 north of Cedar Rapids; Highway 150 south of Independence; Highway 136 north of Dyersville; Highway 151 in Dubuque County; and Highway 52 between Dubuque and Guttenberg. Dozens more county roads also were drifted shut, especially north-south routes.

The Iowa State Patrol banned tow trucks from most of Interstate 380, Highway 151 in Dubuque County and other highways in the northeast corner of the state.

Roads still were icy this morning. Some 40 vehicles remained in the ditch between Cedar Rapids and Iowa City along I-380 at 8 o'clock.

Although hundreds of vehicles went off area roads, northeast Iowa sheriff's offices reported no serious accidents as of last night. A multi-vehicle accident was reported Sunday afternoon along Highway 218 in Johnson County, but no details were immediately available.

"If you're in a safe place, stay there," said a dispatcher in Allamakee County, adding residents seemed to be heeding the warning.

"I think everyone's got the idea from last night," she said. "Everyone's staying home."

Even snowplows headed for cover late Sunday as the wind picked up, with gusts of up to 40 mph and wind chills below zero.

"We had everybody in trying to make as much headway as we can," Linn County Engineer Steve Gannon said. With all 45 plows operating, "it takes about three days in a reasonable storm to make any headway, and this isn't reasonable. Even the state roads have had problems."

The only county plows operating last night, he said, would be ones escorting ambulances or other emergency vehicles.

"It's got to rise to the level where you're willing to see a sheriff's deputy," Gannon said.

Saturday night's snowfall amounts ranged from 4 inches south of Iowa City to 8 inches at Cedar Rapids and 10 inches in Anamosa, said Bill Nichols, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service's Davenport office. Des Moines received 4 inches.

Cedar Rapids police responded to 10 minor accidents, 41 stalled or stuck vehicles, and 11 "traffic prob- lems" between 1 a.m and 1 p.m. Iowa City police assisted more than 70 motorists during the day.

The Gazette was unable to deliver a number of Sunday newspapers because of weather conditions.

One Gazette carrier, Clint Miller, 26, of Marion, said he was unable to deliver his regular route because of being stranded at a friend's house. Instead, he covered another stranded carrier's route in Marion.

"The streets weren't bad," he said. "It was just the driveways and the sidewalks. A lot of places, you had to walk in 3 feet of snow just to get to their porch."

The winds were expected to decrease by midnight, Nichols, of the National Weather Service said on Sunday, allowing road crews to make some progress today.

Nichols said scattered flurries today would bring only light snow, followed by a partly sunny Christmas with a high around 30.

"Cold, but not extremely below normal," he said. "The key is, it'll be a white Christmas."

Elsewhere, winter storm warnings were posted for parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and Indiana as the core of the storm headed north across the Great Lakes. Parts of Wisconsin already had a foot of snow, and up to a foot was forecast in northeastern Minnesota.

Source: GazetteOnline.com - December 24, 2007

Car crashes in WLS TV studio, watch the video here

2007-12-24T07:22:00.000-08:00

A car crashed into the WLS TV studio. WATCH THE VIDEO:

A Chicago television station had just started its 10 o'clock newscast last night when a car plowed into its downtown studio.

No one was hurt in the crash at WLS-TV (ABC-7). The impact was heard on the air, startling the anchor, but police say it caused no injuries.

Police say they're in the early stages of investigating why the male driver of a Mazda MPV with Indiana license plates plowed into the studio's reinforced glass wall.

The station's president and general manager, Emily Barr, says the crash might have been deliberate.

Source: Associated Press - December 24, 2007

Nordic Santa information

2007-12-24T07:05:00.000-08:00

If the most dire climate forecasts come true the tourism industry in Europe's far north, already feeling the effects of global warming, may find itself promoting a Santa in shorts and a camel-drawn sleigh.

Each year at the end of autumn, residents, shopkeepers, travel agencies, reindeer herders and even politicians in the Finnish Arctic town of Rovaniemi - home to Santa Claus' Village, one of the biggest tourist attractions in Finland - look to the skies in the hopes of a snowy winter.

"Everyone working in tourism here is worried. The past three or four years have been difficult for us," says Jarmo Kariniemi, owner of the Santa Claus' Office in Rovaniemi which each year attracts 340,000 visitors eager to meet the "real" Father Christmas.

In early December, with only a few weeks to go before Christmas, there was only 20 centimeters (seven-and-a-half inches) of snow on the ground, just enough for snowmobiles and dog- and reindeer sleighs.

But the rivers and lakes, which normally freeze over in winter and are used to take tourists on snowmobile or sleigh rides, have not turned to ice yet, and that's bad news.

Tourism generates some 235 million euros (A$389 million) of direct and indirect revenue in Finnish Lapland, of which about 60 per cent comes during winter.

It is an enormous amount of money for the region, hit hard by high unemployment and the rural exodus to bigger towns.

"The winter tourism period in the Nordic countries will be shorter and shorter, both at the beginning and towards the end, and it will go fast and it will be huge," climatologist Heikki Tuomenvirta said.

Average temperatures in Finland will rise by three to six degrees Celsius in winter by 2050, and by four to eight degrees by 2080. The average winter temperature in Rovaniemi will rise from 15 degrees Celsius below zero (five degrees F) to eight below (18 F).

"Precipitation in winter will increase, with both rain and snow, and then there will be more rain," Tuomenvirta said.

More rain will melt the snow that normally covers the vast region from November to April, she added.

Towns further north of Rovaniemi are already making the most of the first effects of global warming to attract tourists.

"The amount of snow varies from year to year in Rovaniemi, while here the snow is guaranteed," said Carina Winnebaeck, a hotel manager in Enontekioe.

This village of 2000 people, located a three-hour drive north of Rovaniemi, has already succeeded in persuading British tour operators to bring planefulls of holiday tourists seeking a winter wonderland to their town.

Sources: The Age Australia - December 25, 2007

TOP PICK:

Michelle Rodriguez news

2007-12-24T06:59:00.000-08:00

Actress Michelle Rodriguez began a 180-day jail term in Los Angeles on Sunday for probation violation, the second Hollywood celebrity after Kiefer Sutherland to face a Christmas incarceration.

According to Los Angeles County Sheriff's Dept. records, the former "Lost" star checked in to Century Regional Detention Facility in Lynwood, south of downtown Los Angeles, under her given name, Mayte. Michelle is her middle name.

Rodriguez must serve the full stretch in the overcrowded jail, where sentences for minor crimes are often cut short. In November, actress Lindsay Lohan served 84 minutes of a 1-day sentence, while reality TV starlet Nicole Richie was released 80 minutes into her 4-day term in August.

A judge sentenced Rodriguez in October for violating her probation on previous drunken-driving and hit-and-run offenses, and specified that she not be granted work furlough, early release or home confinement.

Rodriguez admitted failing to complete community service obligations. She was also found to have consumed alcohol on at least three occasions while wearing a monitoring bracelet around her ankle, in violation of a probation requirement that she refrain from drinking for 90 days.

The probation violation stems from a 2004 plea of no contest -- the equivalent of guilty -- to three traffic offenses in Los Angeles, including hit-and-run and drunken driving violations. She was previously sentenced to 60 days in jail for a probation violation in May 2006, but was released after just four hours and 20 minutes due to overcrowding.

Rodriguez rose to fame in 2000, playing a feisty pugilist in the indie film "Girlfight." She went on to star in such movies as "The Fast and the Furious" and "Blue Crush." Her "Lost" character, police officer Ana-Lucia Cortez, was killed off after about two dozen episodes.

Sutherland, the star of the action series "24," began a 48-day term in another Los Angeles-area jail on December 5 for drunken driving.

Source: Reuters - December 24, 2007 - Reporting by Dean Goodman; Editing by Alan Elsner

TOP PICK:

Chris Stokes molester photos

2007-12-24T06:47:00.000-08:00

Raz B claims that Chris Stokes abused B2K, Marques Houston and Omarion.

See the photos:

Source: MediaTakeOut - December 24, 2007

Will Smith Hitler latest news

2007-12-24T05:16:00.000-08:00

US actor Will Smith has stunned fans by reportedly declaring that Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler was essentially a "good" person.

In an interview with Scottish newspaper The Daily Record, the 39-year-old Men In Black star said he did not believe Hitler fully understood what effect his policies would have.

"Even Hitler didn't wake up going, 'Let me do the most evil thing I can do today," Smith told the newspaper in a wide-ranging interview.

"I think he woke up in the morning and using a twisted, backwards logic, he set out to do what he thought was 'good'.

"Stuff like that just needs reprogramming," Smith said in the interview reported on by World Entertainment News.

Hitler's totalitarian leadership as Germany's leader from 1934 until 1945 resulted in the deaths of an estimated six million Jews in the Holocaust and his invasion of Poland in 1939 led to the start of World War II.

Source: The Australian - December 24, 2007

New Paris Hilton sex tape

2007-12-24T04:58:00.000-08:00

Pam & Tommy, One Night in Paris, even Colin Farrell, Director Jason Retiman (Juno, Thank You For Smoking) reviews the blockbuster titles of celebrity porno in his latest blog entry. Reitman wonders why celebrity porn is considered kosher when most other porn is considered taboo.

“When it first came out, I made a copy of the Pam & Tommy tape for my then-girlfriend’s father. The first time I saw the Paris video was at a friend’s house in the company of a dozen people. My wife got a copy of the Colin Ferrell video via e-mail from a casual acquaintance. Why is this? Does the celebrity-factor legitimize it? Either way, I feel enough people have seen one or all of these films that they deserve proper critical analysis into their craft, tone, and artistic value as cinema.”

Reitman compares the Pam Anderson sex tape to a Michael Winterbottom film, Collin Farrell’s sex video to Big Trouble in Little China (because it “falls into the “so bad it’s good” category”), and One Night in Paris to the Blair Witch Project (a very apt comparison). Jason calls the Paris tape the most depressing pornographic film ever shot, calling Hilton a “girl so desperate for love that she allowed a dreg of a human being to video tape her as she felates him.”

Reitman on “One Night in Paris”: “The camera work is steady. The visual ideas are concrete, clear and imaginative. The sense of voyeurism is very real. Take away the night vision that many criticize as “gimmicky” and you still truly feel like a fly on the wall of their hotel room.” “It’s the kind of sex you would imagine in a perfume ad.”

Reitman on the Pam Anderson and Tommy Lee Sex Video: “Truffaut. Godard. Neo-Realism. Whimsy. Joy. A sense of magic.” “The previous films are about an act. The Pam & Tommy tape is about love”

Reitman on Colin Farrell’s Sex tape: “Some people shouldn’t improvise and it seems Mr. Ferrell falls into this category. Seriously, who says that? It’s just crass, awful, and worst of all… hideously performed. I didn’t believe him for a second. Every moment of this film seemed performed. Sexual positions seemed outside the realm of passion and simply there to fulfill camera angles. It was shockingly similar to normal porn without any of the ingenuity of someone like Ferrell who has shared the set with guys like Janusz Kaminski and Emmanuel Lubezki.”

Source: slash/film - December 23, 2007

Chris Stokes latest news

2007-12-24T04:38:00.000-08:00

SHOCKER: RAZ B CLAIMS THAT CHRIS STOKES ABUSED B2K, MARQUES HOUSTON AND OMARION

December 24, 2007. MediaTakeOut.com has some extremely sad news to report. For years there has been speculation that Chris Stokes, the man behind B2K and Marques Houston's career, was a child molester. Now former B2K member Raz B and his brother Ricky Romance appear to be confirming that speculation.

WATCH THE VIDEOS:

In the video being posted on YouTube, MediaTakeOut.com has learned that Raz B admitted that Chris Stokes molested him and other members of the group B2K. Here's an excerpt of a conversation between Raz B and Marques Houston's sister:

Raz B: It all started with Chris Stokes. Chris was like - let me touch you ...

Marques Houston's Sister: Did he touch everybody, or was it just you?

Raz B: You know what, I can't speak for everybody, but if you want my personal opinion, I think he did.

And here's what Raz B's brother, Ricky Romantic said on the same video:

"Chris [Stokes] made me take showers with the other boys .... All the [things] that my brother was introduced to, that [EXPLETIVE] was brought to me first. I blocked that [EXPLETIVE] and I wasn't with it - I backed out ... I kinda knew what was going on there. And yet, I took my brother [Raz B] over to Chris, and I didn't protect him like I should have."

"[Chris Stokes] molested my brother [Raz B] and he molested me ... when I say that, it hurts."

Later on in the video, Chris Stokes is heard on the phone telling Ricky Romantic, "I don't do that anymore, That was me years ago ... I just don't do that in my life anymore."

Source: MediaTakeOut - December 24, 2007

The Whole Nine Yards review

2007-12-24T04:28:00.000-08:00

Well, there goes the neighborhood -- in a pine box. When hit man Jimmy "The Tulip" Tudeski moves into a comfy suburb, everyone's suddenly in danger of pushing up daisies. And it's not all Jimmy's doing either. Jonathan Lynn (My Cousin Vinny) directs and a talented ensemble cast packs heat in this manic comedy about life, love and plenty of ammo. Bruce Willis plays Jimmy, whose arrival sparks a chain reaction in which just about everybody wants to clip somebody else. Matthew Perry plays a hapless dentist who finds a way to get on the Tulip's good and bad sides. And Rosanna Arquette, Michael Clarke Duncan, Natasha Henstridge, Amanda Peet and Kevin Pollak add to the yards of wacky and whacked fun.

Source: Amazon

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Full House Tournament Fighter

2007-12-24T04:14:00.000-08:00

2 Fast 2 Furious review

2007-12-24T04:00:00.000-08:00

This is a market Vin Diesel would love. It's so "The Fast and The Furious." It's actually more like "2 Fast 2 Furious," but I know Vin wasn't in the sequel. But like these fun flicks, the stock market last week seemed like a drag race on steroids. It may make it past that oncoming train but, like all drag races, speed eventually kills.

A few months ago, stocks were highly overvalued. By the end of last week, stocks were way oversold. What made the market surge so uncontrollably? There was too much pessimism and too much cash. Hedge funds were underinvested, and there were lots of investors who, in Wall Street jargon, were short, meaning they'd made picks that pay off when stocks decline. At that point, the least bit of good news sparked a huge rally.

Rallies like this always make me nervous and usually end badly, like teenagers drag racing to beat a train. This is not the way markets turn. Rather, the big move was largely about money managers looking to cover their butts before they have to report year-end numbers to their clients.

The same managers recently predicting gloom and doom are suddenly rushing to invest as much as they can into the growth darlings they'd just been selling or shorting. They are all playing chicken with each other and with their investors because they don't want to confess they missed the rally that they didn't expect.

Good markets turn slowly, like an ocean liner pulling out of a pier. Stocks stop going down, build a base, move up slightly, pull back to a base and then, a few months later, break out to the upside.

Bad markets act like teens zipping down a deserted street. They race in one direction, slide into a skid turn, then race back. They have no conviction. You don't want to be in their way, but neither do you want to race with them.

Historically, the most violent rallies occur in bear markets. The pros are sitting with lots of cash. Someone says something positive, and the market takes off. But these rallies usually end badly because the people buying into them have no conviction and because the fundamentals haven't gotten better.

A few months ago, the Fed cut interest rates and a wild rally ensued. Of course, a month later, the market was lower than it had been before. Now many investors are pushing their lead feet on their accelerators because the Fed made plenty of noise about cutting again.

My guess is this rally could last a few more weeks as underperforming money managers attempt to save their 2007 performance records. However, I wouldn't get greedy. When I see a rally this wild, I always try to take profits because I don't believe investors can beat a train to the crossing without crashing their portfolios.

Source: New York Daily News - December 3, 2007 - Peter Siri

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Santa tracker latest news and updates

2007-12-24T03:36:00.000-08:00

There is something endearing about a culture where your greatest minds, and those places where they show off, dedicate time to Santa Claus. In fact, for those of us who do not believe that the world of fantasy is so farfetched, it is a nice break from the stunted reality we must endure.

So that is why it is so great to see the Los Alamos National Laboratory putting their technology at the hands of those of us who want to track Santa’s movements.

Beginning at 6 a.m., Monday, the 24th of December, Los Alamos time, Mountain Standard Time, the ‘Where’s Santa Claus Now’ page will track the jolly man’s progress across our planet. The International, Space & Response (ISR) Division team will use the satellite dishes high up in the Los Alamos mountains in conjunction with sensors on the FORTE satellite to track Santa.

“We expect Santa to arrive in Northern New Mexico around midnight, Mountain Standard Time, on Christmas Eve,” said Diane Roussel-Dupré of Space Data Systems (ISR-3). “As he travels the world, crossing time zones, he’s chasing midnight, hour after hour, and delivering his treasures to families everywhere.”

Together, the dish/satellite team will be able to cover the majority of the Earth’s flight paths to ensure that Santa’s whereabouts are confirmed. The team also believes that Rudolph’s glowing red nose will put out an optical and infrared light, subsequently making Nick and his reindeer team just that little bit easier to find.

On the official Santa tracking website the Los Alamos team have created a preliminary flight plan, based on their theories. According to the plan, Santa will hit Siberia at 7am MST, followed by my own Australia at 10 a.m., before making his way around the planet, beating the sun all the way, to hit New Mexico at midnight, Los Alamos time.

“We like to think of our efforts as another way to help spread glad tidings,” Roussel-Dupré said. “This is our present to the communities of Northern New Mexico and the world.”

In addition to the above teams’ work, the U.S. Air Force will be dedicating nine of its tracking stations around the world to help monitor the 9-reindeer powered sleigh. So make sure to be watching the website Christmas Eve, wherever you are, to check Santa’s arrival time!

With a little old driver so lively and quick, I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick. More rapid than eagles, his coursers they came, And he whistled and shouted and called them by name:  Now Dasher! Now Dancer! Now, Prancer and Vixen! On, Comet! On, Cupid! On, Donner and Blitzen! To the top of the porch! To the top of the wall! and off and off we will fly! Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!

Source: Canada Free Press - December 22, 2007 - Joshua Hill

HOW SANTA GOT HIS JOB:

JVC RX D301S Review

2007-12-24T03:22:00.000-08:00

The JVC RXD301S adds JVC's new wireless USB-PC link so users of the iTunes® Music Store and other online music stores can play their files back through their component audio system using the RXD301S. It also offers a power output of 110W x 7 and a dual-mode CC converter. For analog audio, there are four inputs and two outputs, while audio digital inputs include two assignable optical inputs, one optical output and an assignable coaxial input. The video side features S-Video (three inputs, three outputs), composite (three inputs, three outputs), and component (two inputs, one output).

Source: Amazon

TOP PICK:

What is the Book of Enoch?

2007-12-23T15:14:00.000-08:00

We first learn of Enoch in Genesis 5 but it leaves us with questions. Hebrews 11 has the answers and Jude quotes Enoch! How did Jude come to know the words of Enoch? They are not in the Bible. The answer of course, is The Book of Enoch. A book which is actually quoted not only by Jude, but also James the natural brother of Jesus.

The quote in (Jude 14-15) & (1 Enoch 1:9) is as follows: "In the seventh (generation) from Adam Enoch also prophesied these things, saying: 'Behold, the Lord came with his holy myriads, to execute judgment on all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners spoke against him'."

What is the Book of Enoch and where did it come from?
Enoch was the grandfather of Noah. The Book of Enoch chapter 68:1 "And after that my grandfather Enoch gave me all the secrets in the book and in the parables which had been given to him, and he put them together for me in the words of the book of the parables." This makes it possible for the Book to have survived the flood as its not too hard to accept that Noah would have taken his Great Grandfathers writings with him onto the ark.

The Book of Enoch was extant centuries before the birth of Christ and yet is considered by many to be more Christian in its theology than Jewish. It was considered scripture by many early Christians. The earliest literature of the so-called "Church Fathers" is filled with references to this mysterious book. The early second century "Epistle of Barnabus" makes much use of the Book of Enoch. Second and Third Century "Church Fathers" like Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Origin and Clement of Alexandria all make use of the Book of Enoch. Tertullian (160-230 C.E) even called the Book of Enoch "Holy Scripture". The Ethiopic Church even added the Book of Enoch to its official canon. It was widely known and read the first three centuries after Christ. This and many other books became discredited after the Council of Laodicea. And being under ban of the authorities, afterwards it gradually passed out of circulation.

At about the time of the Protestant Reformation, there came to be a renewed interest in the Book of Enoch which had long since been lost to the modern world. By the late 1400's rumors began to spread that somewhere a copy of the long lost Book of Enoch might still exist. During this time many books arose claiming to be the long lost book and were later found to be forgeries.

The return of the long lost Book of Enoch to the modern western world is credited to the famous explorer James Bruce, who in 1773 returned from six years in Abyssinia with three Ethiopic copies of the lost book. In 1821 Richard Laurence published the first English translation. The famous R.H. Charles edition was published in 1912. In the following years several portions of the Greek text surfaced. Then with the discovery of cave 4 of the Dead Sea Scrolls, seven fragmentary copies of the Aramaic text were discovered.

The Book of Enoch is divided into five basic parts, but it is the The Book of Parables (37-71) which gives scholars the most trouble for it is primarily concerned with a figure called "the messiah"; "the righteous one"; "the chosen one" and "the son of man."
Chapter 46:1-2 [1] There I beheld the Ancient of days whose head was like white wool, and with him another, whose countenance resembled that of a man. His countenance was full of grace, like that of one of the holy angels. Then I inquired of one of the angels, who went with me, and who showed me every secret thing, concerning this Son of man; who he was; whence he was; and why he accompanied the Ancient of days. [2] He answered and said to me, This is the Son of man, to whom righteousness belongs; with whom righteousness has dwealt; and who will reveal all the treasures of that which is concealed: for the Lord of spirits has chosen him; and his portion has surpassed all before the Lord of spirits in everlasting uprightness."

The opening verses of the Book of Enoch tell us that the revelations in this book were not meant for Enoch's generation, rather a remote generation, and of course the book would make more sense to the generations after Christ. We know that the early Church made use of the Book of Enoch, but it was then all but lost, until recent times. Perhaps this book was meant for our generation, as it is widely available today after being concealed for over a millennia.

(Enoch 1:1-3) The words of the blessing of Enoch, wherewith he blessed the elect and righteous, who will be living in the day of tribulation, when all the wicked and godless are to be removed. And he took up his parable and said -Enoch a righteous man, whose eyes were opened by God, saw the vision of the Holy One in the heavens, which the angels showed me, and from them I heard everything, and from them I understood as I saw, but not for this generation, but for a remote one which is for to come.

Source: Heaven.net.nz

MORE ON THE BOOK OF ENOCH:

Jamie Lynn Spears Made 'The Right Decision' for abortion

2007-12-23T14:57:00.000-08:00

Everyone seems to have something to say about Jamie Lynn Spears' pregnancy: people like you, celebrities, residents in her hometown of Kentwood, Louisiana. Now even a presidential candidate is voicing his opinion on the news.

Republican contender Mike Huckabee recently weighed in on the 16-year-old "Zoey 101" star's pregnancy, which was revealed on Tuesday via an interview she gave to OK! magazine.

"Apparently, she's going to have the child, and I think that is the right decision, a good decision, and I respect that and appreciate it," he told CBS News.

"I hope it is not an encouragement to other 16-year-olds who think that is the best course of action. But at the same time I'm not going to condemn her," continued Huckabee, a Southern Baptist minister who has been soaring in the polls lately due to increased support from Christian conservatives. "There'll be plenty of people in line to do that and I always look for the shortest lines. I just hope that she will make another right decision, and that's to give that child all the love and kindness and care that she can."

Huckabee, who is anti-abortion, also said, "It's a tragedy when a 16-year-old who is not really prepared for all the responsibilities of adult life is going to be now faced with all the responsibilities of honest-to-goodness adult life."

This isn't the first time Huckabee has shown his pop-culture savvy. The former Arkansas governor has also made headlines with a tongue-in-cheek ad featuring Chuck Norris.

Source: MTV - December 22, 2007 - Kurt Orzeck

JAMIE LYNN SPEARS IN 'ZOEY 101' - TOP PICK!

Aptera, the flying car news and photos

2007-12-23T14:28:00.000-08:00

Three hundred miles per gallon and a Jetsons-style look are enough to get anyone excited. But ever since the word got out on it last month, Aptera’s innovative Typ-1 three-wheeler has been the target of relentless theorizing and conjecture across the Web. Is it real? Does it have what it takes to be a practical vehicle for daily transport? Is it stable enough to drive? Does it even actually drive? Well we wondered some of those things, too, so we scouted out if a drivable prototype really exists.

It does.

This week we visited Aptera’s headquarters in Carlsbad, Calif., and became the very first outside of the company to hit the street in the Typ-1 e. And, as you can see from the video of our 20-mile test drive above, we’re impressed.

Aptera has two innovative models that are almost production-ready at $30,000 and below: for next year, the all-electric, 120-mile-range Typ-1 e that we drove; and, by 2009, the range-extended series gasoline Typ-1 h, which Aptera says will hit 300 mpg. A more conventional third model, called “Project X” or perhaps Typ-2, is now in the design phase, with plans for a four-wheeled chassis and seating up for to five passengers.

Source: Popular Mechanics - December 21, 2007 - Ben Steward

Shanghai Knights latest news, 10 year old girl uses Jackie Chan's moves to fight off attackers

2007-12-23T13:25:00.000-08:00

When two young thugs held a pocketknife to her throat, the feisty Bentley Park girl lashed out with karate moves she learned from a Hollywood blockbuster and sent her attackers fleeing.

"I got him by the arm that had the knife and twisted it and threw him on to the ground," Lana told The Cairns Post. The boy, aged about 12, was sprawled on the path, stunned by her fightback.

"He threw the knife at Emma (Lana’s sister) and ran," she said.

Another boy filmed the attack with his mobile phone, she said.

Lana said she only became scared after her attackers fled.

Police are investigating the incident, which happened as Lana, Emma and their friend Jasmine walked along a pathway at Adventure Close, Bentley Park, late Monday afternoon.

The girls said they saw the same boys trying to beat up another child earlier that afternoon.

That attack also was being recorded, they said.

Lana’s mother, Annette Lack, was relieved and proud that her daughter could defend herself so well.

"I was just unbelievably happy that she had done it, actually," Ms Lack said.

"I said to her yesterday, 'I can’t call you little one anymore, I’ll have to call you grasshopper’.

"The policeman who spoke to us said, 'Jeez, they picked the wrong kid’."

Lana, who has never taken a self-defence class, said she had learned the karate moves by watching Shanghai Knights, starring martial arts star Jackie Chan.

Ms Lack said she was alarmed at the thought of boys threatening her daughters with a knife.

"It wasn’t like they were walking around in the middle of the night," she said.

"It was broad daylight."

Emma said she believed the boys planned to post the attack on her sister on the internet.

"But they won’t now because he got beaten up," she said.

Source: The Cairns Weekend Post - December 20, 2007

CHECK OUT THE FILM THAT MADE THIS YOUNG LADY A WARRIOR:

Freedom to Fascism - Information on the must-see film

2007-12-23T13:07:00.000-08:00

Aaron Russo has produced an important and powerful documentary film titled Freedom to Fascism that should be must viewing for everyone. It's now playing in theaters in selective cities around the US and hopefully will be shown abroad as well as what happens in the most powerful country on earth affects all others for better or worse. No one seeing this film will doubt it's frighteningly for the worst.

The film first focuses on the US Internal Revenue Service showing that the federal income tax on an individual's wage-paid labor is illegal and unconstitutional because there's no law written requiring that anyone pay it. It also exposes the US Federal Reserve System as a private for-profit banking cartel owned and run by its member banks for their benefit and at the expense of the public forced to pay them interest on money they have no legal right to print, put in circulation and control. That's because it's creation by the Federal Reserve Act of 1913 passed by Congress (in the middle of the night and during the Christmas holiday break when many legislators were gone) and signed into law by Woodrow Wilson violated Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution that states (only) the Congress shall have the power to coin (create) money and regulate the value thereof.

In 1935, the US Supreme Court ruled the Congress cannot constitutionally delegate its power to any other body or group. By signing this outrageous act into law, Woodrow Wilson did exactly that and violated the law of the land in doing it. He later admitted he made a terrible mistake when he said: (By doing it), "I unwittingly ruined my country." Wilson had been a distinguished professor of jurisprudence at Princeton University where he later became its president before becoming president of the United States. Because he was trained in the law, it's more likely he knew full well what he was doing but acted anyway unconstitutionally in service to the powerful bankers of his day.

The film goes further as well showing how our freedoms are being eroded by fascist laws like the USA Patriot Act that virtually by itself has eliminated most of them and by George Bush's power-grab giving himself, on his say alone, the right to assume dictatorial powers if he wishes. He's done it through his excessive and abusive issuance of presidential executive orders that essentially rewrite US law as he chooses to do it. Above all, he did it by claiming the unchallengeable right to govern as a "Unitary Executive" with the power to abrogate the separation powers doctrine (implied but not specifically stated in the Constitution), bypass the Congress and courts, and act as he chooses to protect the national security when he claims there's a threat to it. In effect, he's given himself the right, on his say alone and with no evidence to back it up, to annul the Constitution, declare martial law if he wishes, and govern by presidential edict, assuming total power and functioning as a dictator. And he can do it if he alone thinks it's necessary to protect the national security against a threat he may have only concocted and likely will have.

The film also covers other important information including how US elections are now routinely stolen by government controlled manipulation and voter fraud through easily rigged electronic voting machines with no verifiable paper trail to assure an accurate and honest count. It also discusses the Orwellian Real ID Act of 2005 the Congress passed to become effective in May, 2008 requiring the states to meet federal ID standards. This law makes it mandatory for every US citizen and legal resident to have a national identity card (in most cases a person's driver's license) that will contain on it a person's vital and personal information. Once the law takes effect, no one will be able to open a bank account or maybe even have one, board an airplane, be able to vote or conduct many other kinds of essential business without it.

It may also become a requirement in the future that this ID card contain a radio frequency identification (RFID) technology computer chip that will be able to track all the movements, activities and transactions of everyone having one. In Orwellian terms, this is the ultimate dream of any government wanting police state powers. The fact that US law now mandates as of May, 2008 that everyone have this type ID means this country is on a fast track toward becoming a full-blown national security police state subject only to the limits, whims and wishes of those in power.

Go see this film and bring family and friends with you. Then go back and spread the word to others how important it is that they too see it. Everyone must now understand that unless "we the people" act in our own behalf to save our precious freedoms, we'll awaken one day soon to the reality that they were taken from us while we weren't paying attention. Long ago Edmund Burke explained it when he said: "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." He only neglected to include women in his important aphorism.

Source: Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.

Latest information on Austin Powers 4

2007-12-23T12:58:00.000-08:00

The British loon is set to shag his way through London one more time…

Nope, not talking about the extra-curricular activities of Robbie Williams but more so Austin Powers, that International Man of Franchisery, whose about to flare up for a fourth wiggle on the silver screen.

Mike Myers tells Moviehole that he’s eyeing an “Austin Powers 4”, only this one will be more Dr.Evil’s movie than the mojo-equipped super spy’s.

“There is a fully conceived idea for a fourth and I can just say that it’s from Dr Evil’s point of view, so if you balanced how much of it was Austin with Dr Evil, it’s more Dr Evil than Austin”, Myers tells us an interview to promote his new film, “Shrek the Third”.

One can only assume it’ll feature – besides Seth Green, whose pretty much a shoe-in to return as Dr.Evil’s son, Scott – a bevy of cameos; a multitude of filthy jokes; and a few pairs of fruit up-front to shroud the naked bits.

Before enduring the “Austin” make-up session again, Myers will play musician Keith Moon in a biopic.

“About four and a half years ago I got a call from security that a Roger Daltry wanted to come, so he came and he said ‘I really would love you to play Keith’ and because I’ve drummed my whole life, I love The Who, I love Keith, I was fascinated by that time. I made Austin Powers because of my fascination and I grew up in an English house and there is nobody more English than an Englishman who no longer lives in England, so I was just inundated with English culture. Donald Margulies is the Pulitzer Prize wining playwright has written the screenplay and it’s great, so I’m excited. It will probably be Love Guru, and then Moon. “

Look for our full interview with Myers, in which he talks more about his next movie “The Love Guru”, as well as “Shrek”, in the coming days.

Source: Moviehole.net - May 8, 2007 - Clint Morris

How Starbucks Saved My Life Information

2007-12-23T12:41:00.000-08:00

By his own admission, Michael Gill was a child of privilege.

"I was born with just about every advantage you could imagine, or even wish for," he told Mason.

He went to an Ivy League college, was a top executive at a world renowned ad agency, and had a six-figure salary. But now at age 67, he's trudging through the dark just before 5 o'clock in the morning, to make the early shift for his new job.

He's a barista at Starbucks.

"This was not on my goal list when I went to Yale."

This is the story of an affluent man's fall from grace, and how he found redemption in an unexpected place, a story Michael Gates Gill tells in his book, "How Starbucks Saved My Life: A Son of Privilege Learns to Live Like Everyone Else."

He describes it with almost a religious connotation.

"Oh, I think there's definitely a sense of, I would have to say, divine grace about my life. Because I definitely didn't deserve this kindness."

He was born the first son in a prominent family. His father, Brendan Gill, was a writer for the New Yorker for more than 60 years, author of a bestselling history of the magazine, and friend to many of the city's most famous faces.

"My father was a very well-recognized figure," Gill said.

When Mike was still a boy, the Gills moved to a prosperous New York suburb called Bronxville. Their house had 25 rooms, a gymnasium, and a two-story library.

Following in his father's footsteps, Michael went to Yale, and was hired out of college to work at J. Walter Thompson, then the world's biggest ad agency.

"I was what was called a creative director, and that means my job was to encourage other people to have ideas, like an orchestra leader," Gill laughed.

He presided over ad campaigns for the Marines, Christian Dior and Ford. For 26 years he climbed the corporate ladder. But he didn’t see the end coming.

"No, I was really shocked by it, which I shouldn't have been."

He was 53 when a fellow executive invited him out to breakfast:

"And she said, you know, those classic words: 'Michael, we have to - we have to let you go.'"

"How did you feel at that moment?" Mason asked.

"I felt stunned. To be 53 and fired in advertising is really a death notice."

Gill tried to start his own consulting business, but couldn't make it. Then money began to get tight.

"I was dressing up everyday with a tie. It's sad now to think about it, but I was dressing up like I was an executive when I didn't have any work."

"Were you surprised at how fragile it all turned out to be?"

"I was surprised at my inability to cope."

Things quickly went from bad to worse. First Gill lost his job, then an affair ended his twenty-year marriage, when his girlfriend gave birth to a son. The final blow came four years ago, when he was diagnosed with a brain tumor.

He was at rock-bottom.

In a desperate attempt to find comfort, Gill found himself going back to his first home in New York City.

"You know, I didn't do it consciously, but I found myself back in the neighborhood I'd been at least appreciated and loved in, [where] I was a fortunate son in a fortunate world, and I was trying to, I think, recapture that sense of, 'I have a place in the universe,' because I felt like I'd fallen out.

"But then I looked over there. And there was a brightly lighted Starbucks store."

He walked over. What he didn't know was Starbucks was hiring that day. And when Gill sat down to brood over his latte, a woman approached him.

"She said, 'Would you like a job?'"

Gill's answer would literally change his life.

"And when she asked me that, I just didn't have the energy to lie or even be polite. I just said, 'Yes, I need a job.'"

"Why did you say, 'yes'?" Mason asked.

"I don't know. It was desperation or courage, but I think I just realized this is the moment I can't afford to miss."

He said the idea of putting on a barista's uniform was humiliating, and scary.

"I mean, it's one thing to get fired from J. Walter Thompson. It's another thing to be fired from Starbucks because you can't even do the basic job."

Those fears proved unfounded. In fact, he had found his calling.

(CBS) Nehemiah Luckett is the manager at the Bronxville Starbucks where Gill now works. He says Gill's forte is customer service.

"There's just this positive energy flowing from him - from him to the customers."

Customer Lisa Diaz said, "Mike's a great guy. I come in every morning at like 10 of 6 and he's always happy and cheerful."

"When you think of simple pleasures, it's coming to Starbucks and seeing Mike."

"That's the magic of serving people an enjoyable experience," Gill said, "is that you become very good friends with them, where you enjoy moments of laughter. They're just precious seconds I realized almost too late in life those are the moments you can really savor most."

"At any point did your kids say to you, 'Dad, you've just lost it?'"

"Our children have shown me so much love during this difficult time. There's never been a moment where I didn't feel that they loved me and wanted me to be happy."

One of his daughters even suggested he keep a journal, which became the basis for his book. Only after it came out this year did Mike's customers and co-workers learn the real story of the man behind the counter.

"Now when you know the full background of everything, it's an absolutely amazing story," said Luckett.

So amazing that Tom Hanks has bought movie rights, and reportedly wants to play Michael in the film.

"I was in a state of shock, because I'd written a very different ending for my life," Gill said. "I'd written sort of an unhappy life going from riches to rags, and here was Tom Hanks calling and saying he wanted to play me in a movie."

But he's hardly living a movie star's life. Home is now a third-floor walk up in Bronxville. He says he so much happier in the "cozy little attic apartment" than he ever was in the 25-room house.

"So, you've downsized a bit?"

"Right, I was downsized. Now I'm downsizing myself."

Stripped of his sense of entitlement, Mike Gill says he's a new man.

"There's not a smidgeon of me that wishes I could be back in that life. I'm so relieved that all this huge weight of this huge mansion is gone from me, and all the expectations associated with it."

"When you say Starbucks saved your life, you're not kidding."

"This is the literal truth, not a metaphor or poetic exaggeration," Gill said. "It's literally true - my life for me was over. I'm so much happier serving than I ever was being served."

Not only have his five kids accepted their father's new life, that brain tumor has turned out not to be life-threatening.

"I'm alive. I'm happier than I've ever been. And I have a chance to share my story, and maybe somebody, hopefully younger than me, can say, 'Hey, if you ever get a chance, and you feel stuck, leap to a new life.'"

Source: CBS News - December 23, 2007

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Thom Hartmann: How Liberals Can Speak Without Boring Everyone to Tears

2007-12-23T12:38:00.000-08:00

"SCHIP" according to Thom Hartmann, "sounds like something you want to avoid stepping in as you're walking through a cow pasture." Referring to a program to provide healthcare coverage to children nationwide with the hollow acronym SCHIP is just one of many failures of imagination on the part of the Democratic Party. Chart the difference between "SCHIP" and "The Clear Skies Act" and you'll get some sense of the dissonance that has progressives throughout the country scratching their heads in bewilderment.

You may know Hartmann as the host of a progressive radio program on Air America. What you may not know about are his previous gigs in advertising and as the director of a residential treatment center for children. It is this background in advertising and psychology that informs Hartmann's insight into the ability of a politician to connect with Americans. His new book Cracking the Code: The Art and Science of Political Persuasion, is written with the intention of providing progressive Americans with the tools that the advertising industry has mastered: How to tell the story behind your vision in such a way that people can't help but listen.

Will the book spur a revolution among Democratic leadership? Probably not. For Hartmann, that's not the goal. "We need to become the media," he argues, appealing instead to individual Americans. "That," says Hartmann, "is where the action is." At a time when many Americans sense a radical disconnect between the policies of those in power and their best interests, Hartmann's message is one of hope and individual empowerment.

Hartmann sat down with AlterNet to explain the tools that enable us, as well as our Democratic leadership if they care to listen, to speak without boring anyone to tears. As Hartmann's overarching message makes clear, what we've got to say is just too important.

Onnesha Roychoudhuri: What was the impetus for the book?

Thom Hartmann: It was the confluence of information and realization. I worked for more than a decade in the advertising industry and about that long in the psychology industry. I've spent six years doing progressive talk radio in the politics business. I've seen, starting with Newt Gingrich seizing power and bringing in Frank Lutz, that the Republicans got very professional about messaging. The Democrats never did.

One of the reasons that the Democrats never did is because the Democratic Party is small "d" democratic. Chris Matthews makes the joke about how the Republicans want a leader and the Democrats want to have a meeting. It's true. The conservative mindset is one that is more calibrated for hierarchy and top-down control. The Democratic mindset, the liberal mindset, reflects the notions that "we're all in this together," "a chain is only as strong as its weakest link" and "we're a community." It's the old Will Rogers joke, "I don't belong to any organized party. I'm a Democrat."

Gingrich, and Reagan's advisers before that, decided to really focus the party and bring in professionals in the fields of psychology and marketing to refashion their message. The Democrats didn't do that. Oddly enough, the strength of the Democratic Party is that it is small "d" democratic. But it's also, in this case, a weakness.

The Republican Party was captured in the 1870s by the railroad barons and turned from the reform party that Abe Lincoln had run on the platform of, into the party of inherited wealth and corporate interests. Since Reagan, they have successfully reinvented themselves as the party of soft bigotry and "NASCAR average guys." They have gone out of their way to reach out mostly to frightened disenfranchised white males and scare them. Take Rush Limbaugh with his supposedly funny ad about the Hillary Clinton testicle lock box that you now can get for your husband.

OR: You trace the core tenets of Republican and Democratic ideology to Hobbes and Locke. Can you explain how these thinkers impact our modern-day conception of conservative and liberal ideology?

TH: They are the origin of both the modern-day conservative and modern-day liberal movements. By the way, I use liberal instead of progressive. I like Bernie Sanders' definition: Progressives are liberals who are actually doing something, whereas liberals are the folks who have the understanding of the worldview. Progressives are the activists.

The origin of both the liberal and conservative worldviews really was with Thomas Hobbes who, in Leviathan, put forth two really radical proposals. The first was that humans can govern themselves, that they don't need a god-ordained leader. That was the basis of modern liberalism. The second major idea was that people are fundamentally evil and that if they're not restrained by the iron fist of church or state, that life would be nasty, short and brutish. That's the basis of the modern conservative worldview -- that everybody is fundamentally evil.

Source: AlterNet, December 6, 2007

Ron Paul on Meet the Press Latest News

2007-12-23T12:24:00.001-08:00

On Meet the Press this morning, Paul called the American Civil War a mistake, criticized Ronald Reagan as a "failure," and refused to rule out a third party run.Paul repeated his claim that Abraham Lincoln should not have started the Civil War to get rid of slavery. "Six-hundred-thousand Americans died in the senseless Civil War," he said. "No, he should not have gone to war. He did this just to enhance and get rid of the original tenet of the Republic," he told NBC's Tim Russert.

"Slavery was phased out in every other country in the world," Paul continued, responding to the question if America would still have slavery had there not been the Civil War. "The way I'm proposing that it should have been done is do it like the British Empire did -- you buy the slaves and release them. How much would that cost compared to killing 600,000 Americans?... I mean, that doesn't sound too radical to me. That sounds like a pretty reasonable approach."

Paul also criticized Reagan for not reducing the government to a "constitutional size." But Paul also is using Reagan's picture in his brochure. "He ran on a good program," Paul explained. "His idea was limited government ... and a strong national defense."

In 1987, Paul resigned from the Republican party. Now he's running as a Republican. "I represent what Republicanism used to be. I represent the group that wanted to get rid of the Department of Education, the part of the Republican Party that used to be non-interventionist overseas. That was the tradition, the Robert Taft wing of the party. There was a time when Republicans defended individual liberty and the constitution and decreased spending."

While Paul never voted for a bill with earmarks, he has included earmarks for his district in bills. "I put them in because I represent people who are asking for some of their money back," he explained. "But it doesn't cut any spending to vote against an earmark. And the Congress has the responsibility to spend the money. Why leave the money in the Executive Branch and let them spend the money?"

"It's like taking a tax credit," he continued, on why he doesn't refuse the money. "I'm against the tax system, but I take all my tax credits. I want to get their money back for the people."

Russert also asked Paul to explain his positions on abolishing agencies such as the FBI, CIA, and IRS. After listening to Paul list the reasons for abolishing the IRS, Russert asked the Republican presidential hopeful how much money would be lost without the IRS.

Paul replied that it would be "a lot" of lost revenue. Russert told him it would be "over a trillion dollars." Paul did not seem phased and said "the goal is to cut the spending."

"If you brought our troops home, you save hundreds of billions of dollars," Paul said, explaining how he would make up the lost revenue. "You can start saving immediately by changing the foreign policy and not be the policeman of the world."

Finally, Paul refused to rule out a third party run, saying he has "no intention of doing that." He previously ran for president in 1988 as the Libertarian Party's candidate, but is now running for the Republican nomination. "I can be pretty darn sure that I have no intention, no plans in doing that. And that's about 99.9% of a chance," he said. "I don't like people who are such absolutists -- 'I will not ever do this' or 'I will win' or 'I'm going to come in first.' I don't like those absolutists terms in politics."

Source: MSNBC, December 23, 2007